Non-rotating wire rope.



G. S. WHYTE.

NoN-ROTATING WIRE ROPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. l, l906`. 952, 1 61 Patented Mar. 15, 1910 .have about six strands.

GEORGE S. WHYT'E, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

NON-ROTATING WIRE BQPE.

Specicaticn of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar, 15, 11910.

Application filed November 1, 1906. Serial No. 341,619.

To all whom it may concern:

lle it known that I, Gnoneii S. WIiY'm, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Non-Rotating Wire Rope, of which the following is a specifi cation.

My invention relates to wire ropes and the object ofniy invention is to provide a non-rotating wire rope especially for use in niine and elevator shafts where there are no guides controlling the load carried to prevent its rot-ating onA itsaxis.

My invention consists in an arrangement ot the strands forming the wire rope which renders it non-rotating.

It also consists in details of construction which will be hereafter more 'fully described and claimed as the specification proceeds.

Figure l illustrates a rope constructed in accordance with my invention the upper portion representing the complete rope, the

intermediate portion, the rope with the outer.

layer of strands removed, and the bottom portion the core. Iiig. 2 is a sectional detail view through the complete rope.

Wire rope as heretofore usually made,

comprises a core of hemp around which isl helically wound a layer of strands, each strand being made up of a plurality of single wires twisted together. About siX such strands are usually employed, which will closelyand firmly cover a core of approximately the saine diameter as one strand. If a larger number o' strands be employed a larger core is necessitated, and withysucli increase in the size' of core the rope is liable to deformation or collapse under strain. Hence itmay be considered that a practicable rope of this character-ought to Such a rope in passing over a .sheave cannot have more than three points of contact therewith in the plane ot any cross-section. It is evident to any one familiar with the art -that the greater the number of points of contact of a wire rope with its sheave in the plane of any Across-section and the more nearly cylin-A drical its form, the less will be the wear upon the individual wires in contact with the sheave and the more uniform the distribution ot wear upon the sheave,thereby prolonging the life of both.

When a load is suspended upon a wire in the specification and claims, I vrope having a much larger number of points rope of the ordinary construction as above described, without restraining guides or guys, 'the strands of the rope have a tendency to untwist and thus cause the "end of the rope to rotate or spin with its load. This tendency to rotate is very objectionable. By my improved construction as hereinafter shown in the drawings and described of contact in the plane of any cross-section, more nearly cylindrical in forni, and wholly without tendency to spin under tension.

In the drawings i is a core of hemp or other suitable material which serves as a cushion on which I lay helically a plurality, preferably six, of strands b each made up of Secure a i sin le wires laid or twisted helically toget ier. Around this layer of strands b I lay helically in the opposite direction a plurality, preferably twelve, of similar strands 0. In order that the tendency'ot the two layers of strands to untwist or spin may neutralize each other, I give the strands b a considerably shorter lay or twist than the strands c of the other layer, so that the relatively strongtendency of the inner layer to untwist shall be practically equalized by the weaker tendency of the `larger number of strands in the outer layer to untwist in the opposite direction. As a specilic example of such construction of rope in which the lay of the strands of the-inner layer is suticiently shorter than the lay of the strands of the outer layer to balanceor equalize the torsion or tendency to untwist due to the greater number of strands in the outer layer, a ratio of l to .87 between the lay of the strands of the inner layer and that of the strands of the outer layer may be employed. It-will also be .seen that with iny improved rope there being twice as many strands in Ais weakened only one-third as inuch as it a strand were severed in a six strand rope.

The distinction between strand and rope should also clearly` be borne in mind, a strand being composed of single wires twisted together, while a rope is always composed of a series or plurality of tically as a rope, because together, the strands of the strands A strand cannot be used practhe ex osed wires are not bound together and are lliable to become loosened, and a broken wire will fall out or can be bodily drawn out of the strand. In a rope every wire is held rinly in place by the pressure of the adjacent strands, and if broken cannot become loosened or be withdrawnA from the ro e.

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a wire rope, in combination, a core, a series of strands laid helically therearound and another series of similar strands laid helically around the rst series in the opposite direction, each strand being composed of a plurality of wires laid helically inner layer having such shorter lay than those of the outer layer as will balance or neutralize theii` opposed torsionalstrains, as and for the purpose specilied.

2. A wire rope com`rising in combination, a layer com ose( of a plurality of strands laid helica ly in contact with each other, each strand being composed of a plurality of individual wires laid helically i with relation to each other, and an outer layer of approximately twice. as I'nany similar strands helically and oppositely laid thereon, the Strands of the lnner layer having such shorter lay or twist than the strands of the outer layer that their tendency to untwist will neutralize the tendency of the outer layer of strands to untwist in the opposite direction.

lin witness whereof, lt have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. W'HYTE. Witnesses:

DWIGHT B. CHEEVER, C. J. CHRISTOFFEL. 

